Abbas launches campaign against US 'peace plan'

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas launched of a diplomatic campaign to confront Trump's "Deal of the Century".

2 min read

21 April, 2019

Abbas appealed to Arab foreign ministers for support (Getty)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has briefed the Arab League on the launch of a diplomatic campaign to confront the US Middle East peace plan, known as the "Deal of the Century."

Abbas on Sunday addressed the foreign ministers of the European Union in the framework of mobilizing European and international support against the US deal.

"The Arabs need to be engaging actively in this critical time," he said.

Abbas appealed to the foreign ministers for support, asking them to emphasize the constants set by the Arab countries on the Palestinian issue and the implementation of decisions of the Arab summits in light of the challenges facing the Palestinian people.

He highlighted that Palestinians had rejected the deal saying it would "not accept in any way" plans by Israel to expand sovereignty over the Golan Heights, Jerusalem and the Lebanese Shuba village.

"They are all considered Arab occupied territories and we will defend them as much as we can," he said.

He further demanded Israel withdraw fully from all occupied territories.

Trump's so-called "Deal of the Century" seeks to find a solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but most believe it will favour Israel and reports have insinuated that the peace deal will not include a Palestinian state.

Trump has been pushing a hard-line policy that favours Israel and last May recognised the divided city of Jerusalem as the Israel's capital, something that was condemned by most countries in the world.

US senior presidential adviser Jared Kurshner, Trump's son-in-law, has steadily pushed forward with the plan, travelling across the Middle East to garner support for key features of the deal.